Park gets new seats

Saturday

Oct 6, 2012 at 12:09 PMOct 6, 2012 at 12:15 PM

Cynthia Grau

New benches are being installed throughout Pontiac’s Humiston-Riverside Park along Water Street.Jerry Haynor, director of the City of Pontiac Parks and Recreation Department, said that the new benches were ordered to replace the old wooden ones seen throughout the park for many years.“The new benches are cedar colored with black legs. They are made of recycled plastic. We’re going green,” he said.Haynor said another reason that the recycled benches were chosen was because the park is one of the lower-lying places in the city and floods quickly. The plastic weathers the floodwaters better than the old wooden benches and will last much longer.“We removed the old benches earlier due to the fact that the concrete pavers beneath them had to be removed. New concrete will be poured and has to set before the new benches can be anchored in their place,” Haynor said.Pontiac City Administrator Bob Karls said the benches were funded by the City of Pontiac and by a grant from the Humiston Trust at an approximate cost of $90,000.